It's Natural
by Anti-Emo
Summary: Few things manage to break Nico Robin's calm personality. Nakama always sacrifice for one another. When Sanji goes above and beyond for her, some feelings are harder to keep down. SanjixRobin. Read and review. Some OOC


HOLY SH--! I decided to write something again.. Something a little more serious for once. Let it be known that for someone who is more or less taciturn, words never came easy for me. I'm not the best writer, and I'm not good with descriptions. Throw me a bone here people.

I don't own one piece, but if I did, I'd be pirate king.

Oh. And flames will be used to cook even worse stories, so be nice.

* * *

"FIRE!"

A hole was blasted into the port side of the Thousand Sunny. The ship rocked it's occupants violently.

With two Marine battleships on either side, and no cola for the coup-de-burst, the Strawhat Pirates were boxed in. Countless marine officers boarded and picked their targets.

"Shitty Marine bastards! You almost hurt Nami-san!" Sanji jumped over the wooden railing of the second floor to deliver a kick to a marine lieutenant who was assaulting the red haired navigator. The blond cook turned to see the other members of the crew were busy fending off the hordes of marine borders which poured onto the deck.

Sanji, ever the gentleman, made it a priority to protect the ladies of the ship during the battle.

"Oi Ero-cook! Do something about those cannons!" The marimo swordsman shouted, occupied with his own battle.

As if reinforcing Zoro's point, the battleship on the starboard side fired another three-shot volley into the hull of their ship.

The ship harshly tilted to the side, almost capsizing. Sanji grabbed the screaming Nami, who nearly tumbled on the deck and into the sea.

Panting heavily, Sanji couldn't even stay around long enough to hear the soft "Thank you Sanji-kun." Nami offered. The chef already rocketed off to the enemy warship.

A marine captain stood on the deck waiting for him, sword and paper in hand. The tall man looked down at the wanted poster, then back at his foe, then back to the poster.

"Is this really black-leg Sanji?" He scratched his head in confusion, not seeing a resemblance.

Bad move however, as the man soon found himself lying unconscious on the deck with a broken jaw.

Seeing their leader defeated, the marines broke into an insane charge. Sanji calmly lit a cigarette.

* * *

"Veinte Fleur!"

"W-What's this?" The marines stood held by numerous hands, courtesy of the Strawhat archaeologist.

"Hey, l-let g-" With a sickening crack, the mans spine was broken. He fell along with his comrades onto the deck, dead or knocked out.

Robin only smiled calmly and lowered her hands from her trademark attack pose.

A sudden explosion to her right caused her to lose her balance.

The starboard marine battleship was cracked in half, and a Diable Jambe-powered Sanji leaped back onto the Thousand Sunny.

The sound of air slicing behind her caused her to duck sharply. Several strands of her hair fell as she turned to see a Marine swordsman with a large cigar.

"You're...?"

"Legendary swordsman of the 14th Marine fleet, Ganryu!" The man boasted. His voice was laced with arrogance.

She'd heard of the swordsman, but his reputation wasn't of great importance

Robin raised her arms, but too slowly. The marine spun around and kicked her against the wall.

The black haired girl recovered quickly, and raised her arms in attack once again. "Dos Fleur!"

Two hands sprouted from the assailant's shoulders and gripped his head. He raised his sword and impaled one of them before she could use clutch.

Robin recoiled in pain against the wall, gripping her real arm and glaring at the enemy. A sword stabbed itself into the wall, inches away from her head. She sidestepped quickly, but stumbled, once again in a vulnerable position.

She quickly glanced around, finding all her companions backed into corners and fighting their own battles.

_No.. I have to do this myself then.._

In an instant, Ganryu disappeared.

Two more marine soldiers took his place and rushed her.

Robin prepared her hands once again. A cold ring of metal gripped her wrists.

_Handcuffs?!_ Robin showed visible panic. _No.. not just any handcuffs.._

Her hana-hana no mi failed to activate. _Kairoseki! _

The two marines continued their charge, swords ready to run her through. Ganryu held her from behind, one hand gripping the chain, the other raising his katana to her throat. Without her powers, she was just a regular person. This is where she'd meet her end.

_No!_ Her blue eyes squeezed themselves shut.

The thumping of boots across the hollow wood suddenly halted.

The pain never came.

Slowly, she opened one eye, seeing only the chest of a fancy black suit.

_Sanji....._

Robin almost exhaled in relief, until she actually saw the situation.

His torso was impaled by two swords. The two blades meant to kill her. In his hand, Ganryu's katana was held in a painfully bloody grip. The marines stood behind him, nearly incapable of moving.

She could still feel Ganryu's breath on her neck. "You... Black-Leg Sanji!"

Said pirate looked up, first in Robin's eyes.

Robin looked back in fear and desperation. "Why?" She whispered.

Sanji forced a smile, blood dribbling from his mouth. He placed his only free hand on Robin's cheek and caressed it lightly.

Robin started to tear up. Someone had gotten hurt saving her again. Images of Saul came to her mind.

The blond broke the katana in his hand, snapping it upward in a spray of blood and metal.

Going against his fighting style, he plunged the broken half of the blade into Ganryu's eye, killing the officer instantly. His only free hand shot to the ground, where he did a hand stand and kicked the still shocked marines that had stabbed him. The marines flew back, chests caved in.

Sanji couldn't dismount. He succumbed to the pain and wounds. His body tumbled to the ground, the swords still lodged in his body twisted and did further damage. More blood shot from his mouth.

Struggling to keep conscious, he looked up to the girl he saved. "Ro-bin-chan.." His bloodied hand reached out to her as if she was the last thing he could possibly want. Blue eye met blue eyes.

"Cook-san... Cook-san!" Robin, still weakened by the kairoseki, stumbled to the ground and crawled over to him. The chef struggled to focus his vision on her. His eye closed. "SANJI!" Robin screamed, tears ran down her cheeks. She gripped his blood stained shirt until her knuckles turned white.

It was then that the tide of the battle turned.

The rest of the crew turned in various degrees of shock and horror to see Nico Robin, one of the most composed members of the crew, crying and hugging the incapacitated Sanji, who was one of the top three fighters they had.

With renewed vigor and rage, the crew laid waste to the opposing side. Chopper ran over to the wounded chef, praying that it wasn't too late.

* * *

The shrill beeping of a heartbeat monitor was the only thing keeping Robin going.

For over a week, the chef lay in a blood-loss induced coma. Chopper said that because of his serious internal injuries, he had a 50% chance of living, or simply passing away in his sleep. It was entirely up to his will to live.

Robin hasn't left his side since the battle. Her eyes were tired and lacked there usual shine. She rarely ate, despite Nami's desperate pleas to feed her some of Usopp's cooking.

The other crewmates sometimes came to visit and talk to Sanji. Luffy would walk in, alternating between being cheerful and determined, and somber and miserable. Franky and Brook would come in to play their songs for Sanji, despite the cyborg knowing that the cook was never too fond of his guitar wailing anyways. When Usopp would come in, he would try and tell Sanji one of his tall-tales in an attempt to spur the man into beating him into submission. Chopper came in frequently, being the one to keep the man healthy and replace his IV drips. Even Zoro dropped by, trying not to show concern for his rival, but failing miserable.

Nami was the one who stayed the longest during her visits. She'd walk in quietly in an almost frustrated fashion, and sit on Sanji's bed in silence. Sometimes, she'd lay down next to him or cry silently in Robin's arms. Sometimes, even the older woman would cry too. Nami didn't just miss the lovesick servitude she got from him, but mostly she missed her friend, her nakama. She was the one who knew of Sanji's determination to save girls the most.

Robin, despite everyones visits, remained by Sanji's side.

_Survivors guilt? _

Her eyes locked on Sanji's rising and falling chest. Her hands clenched in her lap. Robin bit her lip and decided to walk over to him.

She sat on his bed, and gazed at his features.

Sanji was thin, but not unhealthy. His blond hair was smooth and well groomed, which is more then what could be said for the other males of the crew. His curly eyebrow was unique, but not in a bad way. Neither was the modest stubble of a beard he had. When Robin thought about it, he was actually handsome in a way.

She shook her head clear of those thoughts and focused on what lay before her.

Her hero. The man that had risked everything for her. The man who sacrificed his hands, the most important part of his profession, to save her life.

And he did it all with a smile.

Tears pricked at the edge of the archaeologist's eyes.

_Someday you're going to meet nakama.._

_Nakama who will protect you._

_Is this what you meant Saul?_

Robin's demeanor broke for the second time that month. She collapsed on the bed next to Sanji, but not so much that it disturbed the medical equipment.

She grabbed his shirt in sobbing hug and cried onto his shoulder. "WHY?!"

She lightly beat her fist on his chest. "Why are you the one who always tries their hardest to save me? Why were you the one to come after me first in Water 7!? Why are you so damn willing to throw your life away for me?! For someone who was once your enemy?!"

Her crying died down slightly... "Why?" She whispered.

An arm came down on her back lightly, pulling her into a hug.

"Because, you're Robin-chan." His voice croaked harshly from disuse, and yet he said it as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

Robin's eyes bolted open. They were met by a tired smile and a half closed eye. "Sanji-san.." Her eyes watered up again. "Sanji-san!" She breathed in relief and hugged him tightly.

"Are... are you really Robin-chan? You never call me by na-" Robin's lips cut him off.

His eye widened and his cheeks tinted red.

They broke apart, breathless.

"Ro-" Sanji was interrupted again, this time by her finger on his lips.

"No talking, Sanji." She simply laid next to him, exhausted.

Sanji, not wanting to ruin the moment, turned on his side and wrapped one bandaged arm around her, slowly succumbing to sleep again.

_I never would've imagined this would be the first thing I saw when I woke up._

He smiled.

_Not that I'm complaining._

* * *

And there you have it. Another horrible story prompted by a few hours of boredom and free time.

I find this site to be severely lacking in SanjixRobin fics, so I think if you read this today, you should get crackin' on them. Think of it as a personal request from me, your best friend ever.


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